Football in Niger

On Thursday, Leron scheduled a match for the team that CURE Niger sponsors…..

They are a group of young men (I thought boys) who needed some equipment. They play and practice in Lazaret, where the hospital is located. Last fall Coach Jibo came to CURE asking for a donation. Leron gave them some money for jerseys (which, green could not be found…so red it was), balls and a net.

In the fall Leron was invited to one of their games. He took a very short ride to where they were playing. He said that day could have been filmed as a Coke commercial…..picture this…..Leron shows up to this dirt field….dusty, hot day…..everyone on the team came to shake his hand. Then out of nowhere a bench a appears and he is offered a seat…..then the ICE COLD COKE is handed to him. Ahhhhh….sounds like a dream. He said it was pretty neat..

I am finally catching up with the rest of the world. They are all crazy about Football…not the US brand, but soccer…hard core. You can see pick up games all over the place…little kids & men. They don’t need grass, or fancy anything…gee sometimes they don’t even wear shoes. They even get pretty creative with balls, I have seen them kick anything that will roll. Some of  you might be aware that Niger’s team, the MENA, earned themselves a place in the African cup just a few short months ago. There was so much hype and just earning a spot was amazing! They did not win but I am sure it just fueled a few more dreams here in Niger.They love it and they are quite skilled. Sport, entertainment, camaraderie and for some, aspirations of being a star....

Well, Coach Jibo has been after Leron to schedule a match with the Sahel Suns (where the kids attend school).  Sahel Academy’s team just resumed practice last Thursday. They are in  their second year under Coach Windsor & Coach Phenning. I have been so grateful that Ben can be a part of this! The team is a bit different…there are kids from all over the world, girls/guys, 7th-12th grades. Quite diverse. Needless to say, the Nigerien team was a bit intimidating to some of the younger players….size alone. It was a  great match though...great sportsmanship. They are just happy to be playing. ALL of them.

During the game there were a couple of minor injuries…one guy knocked heads with a teammate and they promptly brought him to see Leron. Too funny, he has to tell them over and over that he is not a doctor (I did however, as a joke buy him a Dr Pepper shirt that states “Trust me, I’m a doctor”…he wasn’t wearing it).

So the game concluded two very hot and sweaty halves later…..everyone shook hands and headed for home. This was the most amusing part of the day for me. Leron swung open the very back hatch of the CURE van and like a vacuum was sucking them in….. like lightning, entered the van…..I have to say I have never seen anything quite like it. The team, 2 coaches and others that came along numbered 25, this was guys 15 years old and up ….I am not exaggerating….Leron experienced bush taxi driving first hand….my camera died and I mourn the fact that I could not capture this with a photo. This will have to do....although a van and everyone was inside. when they were loading I was even questioning if they would all fit and Leron assured me that they would...not a waste of one inch of space......

It was a challenging match for the Suns, but a great experience. It was quite wonderful to be there….Ben played and Becca cheered from the sideline and we all sweat right along with everyone else....its was a scorcher!